Wyrd
by RaistlinofMetallica
Summary: The runes tell tales, holding all the wisdom of the world. Wyrd, the rune of immutable prophecy and destiny, hides the truth of a teenaged boy. Sigel, the rune of the sun, shines some illumination on the perilous road ahead. MWPP
1. Peorth

Wyrd

By RaistlinofMetallica

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Blanket disclaimer: Anything you recognize, except for my OCs and the plot, I don't own. I do this for fun and absolutely no profit.

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I: Peorth

_Peorth is the rune of things hidden away that are about to surface and of things unresolved. It is the rune of unexpected inheritance and of secrets sensitive to the subject of the reading. It is usually a rune with fairly positive connotations. However, if reversed, what is to be revealed may be none too pleasant…_

The sound of water dripping echoed in the distance, as it always had when he had this dream.

It was an odd dream that he had every now and again since he first arrived at the school, but it was always the same. He could never remember it when he woke up, but he remembered it every time it returned. There was an overwhelming familiarity that always encompassed the dream. He was aware that in the dream he was not quite himself, but it never seemed to bother him in the dream.

It began as it always began. He stood in the Entrance Hall, looking up across the hall, over the banners. There were more banners in the hall here, many of them banners of families. Each one was half-familiar and each one strange. But, if asked to recall them, he could not do so. There was a feeling that he was making a decision about something important, but what it was he wasn't sure.

Water dripped somewhere in the darkness, spreading ripples across the water's surface.

He began walking up the stairs to the first floor and, once there, he paused, looking about as though checking to see if he was being followed. He moved on and ascended to the second floor, starting down the corridor. He passed countless doorways, heading for a destination he did not know. Finally, at the end of a corridor, he stopped before a door.

Ripples spread across the dark water, faint light from the natural cavern tracing along their edges.

Removing a live toad from his pocket, he examined it briefly and placed it once more in his pocket. He raised a hand, wrinkled with age, and opened the door to an empty room. There were a few chests in the back of the room, stacked against the wall, but he paid them no heed. Instead, he found himself moving to a flagstone and kneeling before it, gnarled hands brushing against a tiny carving in the stone.

Columns twined with curving decorations rose to the cavern ceiling, supports against cave-in on this otherwise natural cavern.

He asked the stone to open and watched as the stone drew back to reveal a tunnel of some sort. Slowly, he swung his legs over the edge and slid down into the darkness. Air rushed past him as the tunnel curved and spiraled down, deep under the castle. He landed on a patch of soft dirt and slowly rose to his feet, starting into a small natural passage.

A toad croaked from its seat on an egg and the water dripped.

There was a wall before him, two gems glittering in the darkness. He told the wall to open and it slid apart, opening into a greater cavern. Pools of water lined the cavern, glittering in the natural light of the cavern. He could hear dripping in the distance as he swiftly moved towards the largest end of the cavern.

The reflection of a half-familiar old man stared back at him from the water. A drop sent hundreds of ripples through the image. But as the water cleared, the face of the old man became his face.

The egg cracked.

And suddenly, bright light entered his eyes, almost blinding him. "WAKE UP!" his friend shouted, shaking him in a friendly attempt to wake him up.

He groaned and closed his eyes tightly. "Go 'way… Lemme sleep…"

"James, do you want food?" his friend asked, probably grinning like an idiot.

Reluctantly, he cracked his eyes open and fumbled for his glasses, shoving them on. The details of the dream were already fading away. "What time is it, anyway, Sirius?"

"About seven minutes to breakfast," his friend grinned amiably.

He sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, "Feels earlier than that. Merlin, I'm exhausted."

"From what, Prongs?" the mischievous Sirius smirked even wider than before. "Did you go chasing Lily again?"

James scowled and shoved his friend off of his bed. "I had a weird dream, Padfoot. You know, one of those ones where you feel more tired than when you went to bed."

"You were dreaming about Lil-y!" Sirius teased in a singsong voice and pretended to kiss his pillow.

His cheeks burning bright red, James protested, "No, I wasn't!"

"If you weren't dreaming about Lily, then what were you dreaming about, Prongs?" his friend asked, curiously.

James opened his mouth and then shut it, blinking. "I - I can't remember."

"You can't remember," Sirius stated flatly, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "And you know it's not about Lily."

He rolled his eyes and pushed himself out of bed. "It had a cave or something… I don't know. I mean, I know it was a weird dream. I just don't remember what it was about."

"Maybe you're not supposed to," his friend shrugged and tossed on his trainers.

James nodded absently and started to get dressed. "I think I've had it before. The dream, I mean."

"And you say you can't remember it," Sirius snorted. "Then, _how_ do you know you've had it before?"

There was a pause as James thought about it. "I don't know. It just seemed like déjà vu. It's hard to describe. I mean, it felt _real_."

"Well, Prongs, maybe it was real," his friend grinned. "You never know. Let's go find Moony and Wormtail, eh? I've got this _great_ idea for a new prank!"

The messy haired boy threw on his robes over his uniform and quickly pulled on his trainers. "A new prank, eh? I hope it's better than your last."

"Don't you trust me, Prongs?" Sirius asked, feigning hurt. "I'm shocked, truly shocked!"

James quickly took a look under his bed and found his book bag. "Do we have any quizzes today, Padfoot?"

"Nah," the other boy said. "Where's your homework for Potions? I still haven't got the answer for that question about that weird potion… What was it? _Deo Gratias?"_

He rolled his eyes at his friend and shouldered his book bag. "Honestly, Padfoot. The answer was basilisk venom. And it's _Deo Volente_, not _Deo Gratias_. Remember what Moony said about it? _God being willing, this potion will cure that!"_

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said absently. "But I don't get how we're going to make the potion? I mean, _where_ are we going to find a basilisk? Aren't they illegal?"

James snorted and started for the door. "I suppose we could always check under the school or something. Who knows what lives under this place? Probably there're all sorts of wicked things under the castle. And it's not like we're actually going to make the potion anyway. Do you really believe they'd allow us to use illegal ingredients in Hogwarts just for a class?"

"Not bloody likely!" his friend laughed, following him. "But my mother can always hope!"

The messy haired boy chuckled at this and rolled his eyes, having completely put the dream out of his mind.

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AN: I've been bashing this idea around for a while. Weird, I know. Yes, I do own my own Runes. Perhaps James should be grateful that he doesn't remember the dream. Deo Gratias is "thanks be to God" and Deo Volente is "God being willing". The potion's name pokes fun at its function as a healing potion. They're at least sixth year. Sirius also makes a crack at his, ahem, _evil vindictive bigoted bitch of a mother._ After meeting her painting, I feel so bad for poor Sirius. Please Review. 


	2. Sigel

Wyrd

By RaistlinofMetallica

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II: Sigel

_Sigel is the sun, the rune of life and health. It can signify that there is a situation that needs to be taken control of. It is also seen as 'a guiding light', a beacon through dark times. It may also mean that the subject is in need of a spiritual guide to arise and show them the way forward..._

James yawned, trudging into Divination class sleepily. It was his second class of the day, immediately following mind-numbing boredom of History of Magic. He couldn't remember what he'd been thinking when he signed up for the class three years previous, but it was an easy class and Sirius had also come along, a welcome source of humour in the dull class. Both Remus and Peter had opted to take Arithmancy instead. Moony had no patience for prophecy and vague imagery, while Wormtail merely had a natural gift with mathematics.

He sunk into one of the cushioned chairs, next to Sirius. "What's it going to be today, Padfoot? Rocks? Paper?" he asked, grinning cheekily.

"Old bat hasn't said yet," his mischievous friend whispered back. "Somehow I doubt it will be the cards or the runes, though."

Professor Calypso Merryweather was ancient, gnarled fingers curling around the arms of her chair like long spider's legs. She was blind in one eye, but the other was as sharp as ever and her voice was like metal grating on stone. "You, sixth years, will be learning to interpret dreams. In years past, I told you of the crystals, of the Tarot, and of the Rune stones. I have taught you the art of awareness mediation and we shall now put it to good use."

"Naptime," whispered Padfoot, grinning.

The ancient Professor chuckled slightly, her eyes narrowing with a sly spark. Ancient she may be, but her hearing was deceptively sharp. "No, we shall not being sleeping here, young Black. We shall meditate and reach into our subconscious for the fleeting knowledge our dreams provide. Let your conscious mind sink away. Focus on your dreams and let us begin the class."

James grinned at Padfoot, silently mocking his friend for forgetting about the old professor's acute hearing.

Sirius stuck out his tongue at his messy haired friend and leaned back into his chair, closing his eyes. Undoubtedly, Padfoot would be snoring in a few minutes. Meditation was never his forte.

He closed his own eyes, sinking deeper into the soft cushions. James, for his own part, had only occasionally managed to enter a state of meditation. Letting go of thoughts, he tried to clear his mind. It seemed like an eternity before his mind finally slipped into the trance-state.

James found himself standing in an echoing darkness. A single drop of water fell from above, hitting the ground. Ripples spread across the ground and under his feet as he watched, curiously. His reflection was that of an old man with a thin beard and hawk-like eyes. The ripples spread though the reflection and he looked up.

A white stag stood before him and he recognized it; this was his animagus form. The pale fur almost seemed to glow in the darkness and the great animal turned, walking away. James followed his other self without fear. The stag, Prongs, would know where to find his dream. After all, Prongs was a part of him. Well, the wilder part of him, admittedly, but a part of him all the same.

The stag led him to an old man, the same old man in his reflection. The old man gently petted the nose of the great animal and sighed - it seemed with great sadness. The stag shimmered, turning into a ball of light, and came soaring back to James. He reached up, taking hold of the light. It melted into his hands, becoming a part of him again. He looked up at the old man and asked, "Are you my dream?"

The old man shook his head sadly.

James blinked in confusion and scratched his head. "Well, then, what are you?"

At this, the old man smiled. "Your past."

Suddenly, three chimes sounded and James found himself back in the classroom with a headache. Next to him, Sirius gave a snort as he returned to the land of the waking. The ancient professor rose from her seat slowly, her shrewd eyes narrowing as she scanned the class. Sirius quickly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Professor Merryweather leaned on her walking stick and spoke in her grating voice, "Those of you who actually achieved a meditative state will write a scroll on what you have seen. Be very careful to record exactly what you have seen. The details are very important to understanding what your dreams have to tell you. You are all dismissed - except you, Mister Black."

"Yes, professor," Sirius said, sulking.

James shook his head, smirking, and left the classroom. He waited outside for his friend as he always did; Padfoot had a tendency to nap through Divination and had never ceased to be caught by the ancient professor. Fortunately, Professor Merryweather seemed to have a soft spot for the Grim animagus, as she never gave him detention - only more homework.

Padfoot emerged from the classroom a few minutes later, rubbing his ear. "Ow," he whimpered miserably. "She pinched my ear with her nails..."

"Serves you right for snoring out loud," James pointed out. "At least some of us have the good sense to remember a silencing charm, Padfoot."

At this, Sirius groaned and rolled his eyes. _"Now_ he reminds me!" Then, a large grin worked its way onto the boy's face. "Oh, well! Come on, Prongs! There's a pretty girl just waiting for a good-lookin' bloke like me!"

"Who is it this month, Padfoot? Gloria? Vivian? Or, perhaps, the enticing Miss Addams?" James asked, as they started walking down the hallway.

Sirius shuddered involuntarily. "Not Addams... She's the type of girl my mother would _love_ to see me bring home. Slytherin, as cold as she is pretty, and from an old pureblood line. In short, _not_ my type."

"So, if it's not her, then who is it?" the messy haired boy asked, rolling his eyes.

Padfoot beamed again as they turned the corner and started down the stairs. "I'll give you a hint, Prongs. She's cute -"

"That's not much of a hint," James commented dryly. "Half of the girls in our year are cute."

His friend got a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Even 'Fireball' Evans?"

"Lily Evans is _not_ cute! She is in no way attractive and you'd have to be insane to think otherwise!" the messy haired boy protested. "She's an arrogant, bossy know-it-all with no sense of humour and she lives to annoy me to death!"

Sirius grinned broadly. "So that's why you've been writing her those love sonnets?"

"I have not!" James shouted, aghast.

His friend's grin grew wider. _"Your eyes are as green as fresh pickled toad..."_

"Padfoot!" the messy haired boy hissed in alarm. "Shut up!"

But this plea went unheard by his friend, who continued reciting some of the more embarrassing lines of the numerous drafts of poetry James had composed. _"Flame-haired Venus, beautiful goddess garlanded in flowers..."_

"Shut up, you prat!" James growled, clamping his hand over his friend's mouth. "I don't make fun of your pick-up lines!"

Sirius gave a muffled laugh and slipped away from his friend. "All right, all right!" he chuckled, grinning. "We're going to the library! A certain pretty Ravenclaw spends her study period there and I intend to trap the evasive minx!"

"Oh, boy," Prongs sighed, slapping his forehead. "You're going to try to pry a Ravenclaw from her library? That's like trying to get Snivellus to wash his hair: next to impossible! My friend, you are _mad._"

Padfoot laughed at this and countered, "Mad I may be, but is she ever worth it!"

"Who is this mystery girl, anyway, Padfoot?" James asked, following him down to the library. "I mean, there are quite a few cute Ravenclaws - not counting your cousin, of course."

His friend nodded simply. "Of course."

"Well, come on! Don't keep me in the dark. I want to know," the messy haired boy demanded.

Sirius winked and chuckled, "You'll see, Prongs, you'll see..."

And with that, the two boys proceeded into the library. Padfoot pointed to a worktable by the windows, where a girl was hunched over a large tome. Her back was to them, but he could see that her hair was in a stiff brown plait down her back and she wore the Ravenclaw robes. Unfortunately, _Snivellus_ was sitting at the far end of the worktable - buried up to his arms in books.

Boldly, Sirius strode up to the table and sat down next to the girl. "Hey, Luna!" he grinned.

James sat down at the free end of the table, content to watch as his friend humiliated himself. His friend was trying to get the attention of a girl who would have been very pretty - if she ever managed to get her head out of those books, that is. And for the Ravenclaw sixth-year known as Luna Rouge, that would _not_ be happening any time in the near future.

"What do you want, Black?" she asked, not looking up from the book. He must have tried to appeal to her earlier, for she did not seem too pleased to see him. She jotted something down on the scroll next to her - apparently, homework for Ancient Runes.

Padfoot beamed. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me this Saturday."

"Black, I am trying to do my homework," Luna stated acidly, more as a hint that the Gryffindor should shut his big mouth and leave her alone. Now James knew that Sirius had definitely approached her before.

James toyed absently with the small cloth pouch sitting next to one of the girl's reference books. There were rune stones inside, he could tell.

"Stop that," she snapped, slapping his hand away from the pouch.

Of course, Sirius completely missed the hint she'd given him. "So, are you free to go?"

"I don't think you heard me, Black. I am _busy_ right now," the Ravenclaw said, sharply crossing the T's in the word 'letter'. Her annoyance was so great that she looked like she was going to snap the quill in two any moment now. "I am trying to do my work, something that you should seriously be considering doing yourself if you ever want to do more than just scrape by on your testing. Now, would you please piss off?"

Both James or Padfoot had been none too keen on the OWLs or the NEWTs and, while Peter agreed with them for the most part on that, he was always the one helping Moony to get them to study. Moony was the closest they had to a scholar amongst them and they had gotten used to his Ravenclaw-like nagging about studying. Besides, he made some great pranks possible with his knowledge of the books in the library. James had just never understood the Ravenclaws and their insistence upon constantly studying. It was boring, studying absolutely all the time. There was no fun to be had in doing that.

Padfoot, however, was undaunted by the girl's annoyance. He had managed to goad a girl or two to go out with him in an effort just to get him to shut up. "But you won't be busy on Saturday, will you?"

"I'm busy getting handfasted to Severus on Saturday," she snapped angrily, stabbing her quill at the far end of the table where the Slytherin was studying.

Snape fell off his chair from sheer shock.

Thoroughly unfazed, Sirius commented dryly, "Right, I'm sure. How about Sunday?"

Luna held her quill so tightly that she snapped it in two.

Padfoot didn't seem to notice and James was willing to bet his friend was about to get slapped silly.

"I would rather perform the Rites of Beltane with Voldemort than accompany _you_ to Hogsmeade, Sirius Black," she growled, trembling with rage. "You are an arrogant, thick-headed prat who can't take the hint that I'm _not interested!_ I don't know where you got the idea that I was, but you can forget all about it because I do not like you. Now, leave me alone!"

Well, it was a verbal slapping, but a slapping nonetheless. And very unladylike, too, considering what the Rites of Beltane were. Even Snape was looking quite scandalized.

Sirius, now a bright shade of red, muttered, "I'm going to kill Wormtail when I see him."

"That's nice," James said, getting up from his seat. "Let's go, I'm sure we've got some homework to do." As he stood, his hand grazed the small cloth pouch and knocked it off the table. Deftly, he caught it and placed it back on the table, mumbling, "Sorry."

She opened the bag as he turned away, examining the stones.

A hand caught his arm.

"Wait," Luna said, pulling him back. She held up a single rune stone. "Peorth, reversed. What you are to inherit will be a dark secret, something that will come whether or not you want it to or not."

The old man he'd seen in Divination came to mind, suddenly. James tried to pull away, but the Ravenclaw's grip tightened.

"Othel, reversed," she continued, drawing another rune and putting the first away. Strangely, her amber eyes seemed to be unfocused. "You will need more than courage to survive what is coming and you must face it alone."

"What are you talking about?" James asked, alarmed. He tried to pry his arm away again, but the girl's grip was unusually strong. "Padfoot!"

His friend turned around, surprised, and started back towards them.

"This is Wyrd, the immutable fate," Luna hissed, her unfocused eyes glowing with a strange fire. She held up a blank rune stone. "Everything that is coming is fated. You cannot escape from it and it will not be stopped. You _must_ face your destiny."

"Let go of me!" he hissed, trying to pry her fingers off. Her skin felt like fire to the touch.

Sirius tugged at her arm, but she still did not budge. "Luna, I know you're upset, but this isn't funny!"

"Nied," she said, as though she could not hear them. "The path will be hard, but you will find your inner peace."

"I don't think she can hear you!" James snapped, more than a little panicked.

"Geofu, you seek love, the gift of the heart," the girl continued. "Lagu, the water flows and brings forth your awareness. Daeg, you have the power to change your ways, through accepting what you were."

Padfoot glared at Snape as he reached for Luna's hand. "What are you waiting for? Go get help!" He yelped, jumping back, "Merlin! She's burning up!"

The Slytherin took off, shouting for the librarian.

"Sigel," she muttered, beginning to look very pale. "A guiding light will tell you the path you must take. Yr, the things you seek will be yours."

James tugged at his arm, while Sirius attempted to pull the girl away from him, but she seemed unmovable.

"Ansur," the ashen girl said finally as the librarian arrived. "Enlightenment."

Then, Luna's eyes rolled up into her skull and she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

The blank rune still rested in the palm of her hand.

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AN: Um... okay... James sees some key parts of his dream (the water, the old man and the ripples). Sirius pokes more fun at James and his crush on the 'not-cute' Lily. Luna is not happy about being hit on, hence why she made the excuse that she was getting married (handfasted) to Snape and later, basically, said she'd rather have a go with Voldemort than go to Hogsmeade with Sirius. Ouch. Blame Wormtail for giving Sirius the idea that she might like him. Luna's little rune fortune at the end might just be James' fault. He had been playing with the rune pouch and he had just caught it before Luna went off... Wyrd can be pretty powerful, ne? Review please. 


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